US Iraq envoy stresses Arab role

By Kim Ghattas BBC State Department correspondent

Crocker: No one is talking about war with Iran

The US ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, has called on Arab countries to do more to support Iraq.

"You can't beat something with nothing," he said, urging great Arab diplomatic and economic engagement to counterbalance Iranian influence.

He added that the US was ready to hold security talks to Iran in Baghdad but was waiting for an Iranian response.

Mr Crocker was speaking after a week of testimonies in front of the US Congress, on progress made in Iraq.

President George W Bush on Thursday announced that he was reducing the length of the deployment tour in Iraq back to 12 months, down from 15, but said there would be no further pull-out of troops after the five surge brigades return home this summer.

Mr Crocker talked again at length about what the US sees as Iran's negative role in Iraq but he struck a slightly more positive note than during the Iraq hearings in Congress.

Iran, he said, was not about to take over its neighbour and he spoke of a backlash starting against Iranian-backed militias in Iraq.

Ryan Crocker also said the US was ready to resume talks with the Iranians about security issues, in Baghdad; two meetings have already been held over the last two years.

He pointedly added, that no one was talking about war with Iran.

Saudi stop

The veteran diplomat was critical of Arab nations for not doing more to help Iraq.

Countries like Saudi Arabia and Egypt are worried about Iran's influence and interference in Iraq, but have yet to open embassies in the Iraqi capital, unlike Tehran.

"If the Arabs are concerned about Iranian influence and encroachments in Iraq ... They need to be diplomatically involved there," said Mr Crocker.

The level of diplomatic or economic engagement with Iraq by Arabs remains extremely low, he said, adding that Iraqis were starting to be sensitive about the issue, including the Sunnis.

The ambassador and General David Petraeus, the commander of US troops in Iraq, will be stopping in Riyadh on their way back to Baghdad to make that point to the Saudis.

Over breakfast with journalists in Washington, Mr Crocker also said that American diplomats will start moving into the new US embassy Baghdad at the end of May.

The massive complex inside what is known as the Green Zone or international zone is the size of about 80 football fields and has cost around $600m.

The Green Zone has repeatedly come under attack, with an increase in rocket attacks in recent weeks.

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